Wow! It is almost that time again. Where did all of the time go? It seems like we were all celebrating 4sqDay 2013 not too long ago. It is a thrill to gather together and enjoy April 16th with so many people, and it is amazing how well this grassroots celebration has taken off over the past few years. Even as our schedules become more and more demanding, we are happy to know that so many people are still gathering each April. In addition, we are pleased to know that Foursquare is also just as excited. As they work on new great innovations and features for all of us Foursquare users, they took time to create the 2014 logo as well as this FAQ!

What to expect!

Excitement! Sure, some of the folks in your community might have gotten extremely busy in recent years, and they may not have as much time to share in the passion and excitement, but new people are constantly joining the Foursquare community each and every day. Amazingly, some of those people do not know the full story behind this great grassroots celebration that we call 4sqDay! If you are hosting an event and would like some 4sqDay swag, be sure to fill out the form from Foursquare by this FRIDAY (March 29, 2014).

What not to expect!

Unfortunately, there will not be a 4sqDay badge this year. We know that this is a bummer for most, but Foursquare is actively working on great things for the application, and badges are no longer at the top of the list. Also, they streamlined a lot of their processes and operations, so there is no more Foursquare [apparel] store. As a result, they will not be producing awesome t-shirts to sell. With that said, they have allowed us to sell t-shirts at cost. We will have a separate post about this soon. In the meantime, look on the upper right side of the site for a link to where you can reserve and order your shirt.

Start Planning Today!

It is never too late to start planning. Just remember that the first 4sqDay is organized within a couple of weeks. Whether you plan for a gathering of 10 people or a crowd of hundreds, let’s make this year’s celebration greater than ever! Let us know how we can help you make it extra special!

We’ll have more to come and for now we wanted to send a big thank you to everyone for a great 4sqDay! We can’t wait to celebrate with you all again next year – but don’t wait until then to meet up again with your best Foursquare friends – plan a Foursquare meetup and keep the fun lasting all year long! Thanks again everyone and Happy 4sqDay!

Guest Post by Chad Elkins, founder of 4sqATL; congratulations to Atlanta on another great upcoming 4sqDay gathering!

It’s hard to believe that 4sqDay is hitting its 4th anniversary on Tuesday. And for the fourth year in a row, Atlanta will be celebrating. Right out of the gate in 2010, the Atlanta community rallied together with over 50 4sqDay specials and a party with 100 folks who were both existing users and new users who signed up that night to check-in for the first time. The annual celebration has steadily grown in participation, sponsors, and event attendees. Our party last year had over 300 users celebrating with food trucks, free custom Atlanta 4sqDay giveaways, and beer at SweetWater Brewery. Not only did we have a great turnout, the City Council issued a proclamation for the day, and we had the most active venue in the world on Untappd! (photos from 2012 event)

I’m excited about what we have planned for 2013. As in previous years, we are assembling one day check-in specials that are only valid on 4sqDay. The Atlanta City Council has already proclaimed 4sqDay for 2013 as well. No 4sqDay would be complete without a party! This year we are gathering at a brewpub in Atlanta called 5 Seasons Brewing where we will be taking over their rooftop bar and patio. Secondhand Swagger, a popular local band, will be playing and we have 2013 Atlanta 4sqDay custom t-shirts and koozies to give away to attendees – thanks to our sponsors: Original El Taco, Engauge, The Fox Theatre, Strongbox West, and What’s Up Interactive. We’ll also have the 4sqDay water bottles to hand out to everyone courtesy of Foursquare. Not only will we be gathering to celebrate, we’re also using that opportunity to do some good. The Atlanta Community Food Bank will be on-site collecting donations. Entry to the event is free, but we are asking for a $4 suggested donation or 4 non-perishable food items from attendees. The ACFB can turn a $4 donation into 16 meals for families, a four…squared benefit! Please check out the 4sqATL site for more details on the 2013 4sqDay party.

I’m proud of how active our Atlanta community is and their passion for both Foursquare and charitable efforts. Looking forward to seeing everyone again here in Atlanta and I would like to wish all of you around the world a safe and happy 4sqDay.

As Foursquare Day nears, many of us within the community have used this past year to challenge ourselves and our fitness. Originally started by 4sqDay founder, Dr. Nate, FitBy4sqDay has been a quest by foursquare users to reach new fitness goals and live in a healthier way. While many typically start refocusing on fitness after the November and December holidays as the New Year turns over, the foursquare community embraced the fitness challenge much earlier in hopes of greater results and so much more. Some started in spring or summer of 2012; others started just a few weeks ago. Certainly, fitness is a life-long journey, and we [the 4sqDay community] encourage you each step of the way. As we approach 4sqDay, Cellucor wants to encourage the foursquare community to take the next step in its fitness journeys. Whether you just started to reshape your life or have been working at it for months or years, Cellucor is confident that you can do it.

Cellucor Offers Samples, Added Encouragement

For those who may not know, Cellucor is a major player in the fitness supplement industry. They offer top-notch, high-quality supplements for those looking to get the most out of their workouts. Of course, there is no one pill that saves the day, and they do not claim that. Instead, with a good diet and exercise, their supplements offer you a great way to take your fitness to the next level.

As we celebrate 4sqDay 2013, Cellucor is offering its foursquare fans some free samples [of their extremely popular pre-workout supplement, C4 Extreme, and thermogenic/fat burner supplement, Super HD) to those who like their foursquare brand page (http://foursquare.com/Cellucor) and fill out a quick form that we have provided at http://4sqDay.com/partners/Cellucor! It is that simple; if you are in a region wherein they are permitted to ship supplements (i.e. USA, Canada, parts of Europe, and many countries around the globe), they will send you out some free samples as a thank you for engaging them on foursquare.

There’s More!

If Cellucor surpasses 416 page likes on or by April 16, 2013 (4sqDay), they will randomly send out a full-sized container of one of their supplements to four random people who have both liked their page and submitted their shipping information using the form noted above!

Thank You, Cellucor!

At 4sqDay Global, we appreciate Cellucor for partnering with us to help get us all fitter as 4sqDay approaches. Keep working hard towards your fitness goals; we’d love to hear how you liked the free Cellucor samples and how your fitness results are coming along; we will be sure to share your photos if you’d like us to! Tag your [unboxing and fitness] photos and tweets with the #FitBy4sqDay hashtag!

Disclaimer: Personally, I have been a Cellucor customer for a number of years, and I have found great results with a good number of their supplement products, from pre-workout powders to great, lean post-workout protein powders! I am an affiliate at Cellucor (wherein promo code DWAYNE gets you free shipping and 20% entire order at Cellucor.com | Also, I have consulted them on their foursquare presence.

As in previous years, we have teamed up with ScreenScape. ScreenScape is a great tool that helps make place-based marketing easier and much more affordable. In years’ past, foursquare communities like yours have turned to the ScreenScape platform to engage the audiences at 4sqDay events. Like last year, we have the privilege of a special offer for our 4sqDay communities. ScreenScape is allowing all 4sqDay communities to enjoy their platform for free (30 day free trial). Over the past two years, more and more communities have taken advantage of this engaging opportunity. And, this year, ScreenScape has improved its platform even more, so what are you waiting for?

Second, it is important that you then confirm your email. Once you complete step one, you will get a confirmation email; open that email up and click the link to verify your account profile.

Third: Claim Venue & Use Our Promo Code

Third, it is very important that you then click to Claim Venue. When you do this, you will be asked for more information. Once you select your specific venue and fill out the details, you will want to be sure to enter the A4SQ13 promo code. This will give your community the free 30-day trial instead of the normal 14-day trial period.

Fourth: Create Content And Link To Us!

Now, it is time to create your awesome, event-specific content. We recommend that you take this opportunity to showcase your event sponsors, foursquare itself, and certainly your non-profit partners! Just be sure to shoot us your group/business name so we can invite you to the global 4sqDay group! Go to our contact page and send that information to our information email address!

It’s That Simple!

Thanks to ScreenScape, your community has one GREAT tool to make this 4sqDay event better than ever. So, sign up today, use the promo code, create awesome content, and send us your information so we can invite you to the global content group! How are you using ScreenScape this year? We’d love to hear all about it!

With 4sqDay just around the corner, more and more foursquare users will be gathering and exploring their towns and cities. As they do this, many will be at a location that they may have never visited before. Being in an unknown venue has its risks; [for example] in restaurants, some may not know what to order. Not knowing what the venue is better known for [or what to stay away from] is never a fun thing to experience. So, what can we do about this?

Push Towards 416 Tips By 416

Well, I introduced an idea… a challenge to you last year. The goal was to either reach 416 total foursquare venue tips or, if you had already gotten to that level already and/or wanted a bigger challenge, add an additional 416 tips. With one week to go until we celebrate 4sqDay, I want to reiterate this challenge, and it certainly is NEVER too late. Since I already am nearly at 1,000 tips, I planned to add 416 more tips. I have slacked in early 2013, so I still have 200 more to go, but I have a lot of tips in my head that I just need to add on my foursquare profile, so I will easily achieve this goal. In fact, after I do that, I still plan to attempt to add 416 MORE tips on 4/16! So, if I can add over 600 tips in the course of 7 days, you can add a few more tips too.

Make Them Count!

Of course, adding a tip just to reach a number is NOT what we are trying to achieve here. Instead, we want you to add great tips that will be useful for your fellow foursquare users. In the end, we will all win because we will have greater information at our fingertips as we continue to explore venues in our neighborhood and across the world.

Think Outside of the Box!

I recommend that you think back to venues that you may have visited long before foursquare became a mobile app. For me, I lived for 23 years in Michigan, but I was already back down in Atlanta, Georgia, when foursquare came about. But, that does not mean that I do not have information about venues up in Michigan or in other cities and states that I may have visited before. Instead, I encourage you to share those experiences and recommendations on foursquare via tips. And then, I encourage you to create lists around those awesome tips!

Let’s Get ‘Er Done!

So, let’s get going and make this happen. We look forward to reading all of your great tips. Let us know if you are taking the #416by416 challenge; we want to hear all about it!

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If you’re a business, 4sqDay is a great opportunity to bring new customers in and get your existing customers to try new things. Here’s how to set up a special for 4sqDay:

If you haven’t already, claim your venue!

If you haven’t claimed your venue, go to foursquare.com and search for your business. Once you find it, click on the link in the right sidebar to claim the venue, and follow the instructions to claim managerial rights to the location (you can be verified immediately if you can answer the official phone number associated with your business listing).

Set up a special and schedule it for 4/16/13.

If you’ve never set up a special before, follow instructions here to do so. What sort of special should you offer? It can be anything! A discounted on a new or featured beverage, a sale on popular retail items, or a special free giveaway for anyone who checks into your store. You could also offer an extra special Mayor Special to whoever is Mayor of your establishment (assuming it isn’t an employee/owner/yourself!).

Spread the word!

Foursquare will help market your special to people who check in nearby or use the Explore feature by adding a special banner to draw attention to your business as people are searching for places to go. Of course, it helps if you use your blog, Facebook, Twitter, email list, and signage in your store to let people know what awesome special they can expect on this special holiday! You can also encourage check-ins by displaying this window decal on your storefront (you will be mailed a decal when claiming your venue, or ask a local 4sqDay organizer for one!):

Have some great 4sqDay Special ideas? Add them in the comments or tweet them with the #4sqDay hashtag!

4sqDay is SO fun, y’all. 4sqDay is also time consuming and exhausting. After organizing two Foursquare Days the past two years, I’m taking a break from the proclamation and the giant party. Instead, I’m electing to have a small dinner celebration with some friends I’ve met through foursquare. But as a “veteran” 4sqday-thrower, I do have one, simple request for those organizing 4sqDay events:

Emphasize Foursquare Explore

Although delicious, cupcakes are not the meaning of 4sqDay.

Please make sure your event has an educational bent. Although cool, 4sqDay is not about the swag, the badge or how many attendees you have. April 16th should be about securing the future of the app, and the future of the app is Foursquare Explore. As Dennis says: “It’s not about the decline of the check in but the emergence of search and discovery.”

Ways to focus on Foursquare Explore:

Have a discussion about the best ways to use Explore: individual examples may give you more insight on different ways to use the feature

Hold a scavenger hunt using Explore – hide a prize at a nearby venue

Give out swag to those with the most tips, lists, etc (I did this at 4sqDay 2011 – my big winner only had eight tips!)

Set out a 10 minute block of time for everyone to leave thoughtful tips – ain’t no party like a tip-making party

Have “How to use Foursquare Explore” incorporated in your live Twitter/Instagram visualization stream

How else can you emphasize Foursquare Explore? Leave your tips (ha!) in the comments.

Foursquare has really stepped it up this year with a surprise swag item that they’ve teased for the past few weeks. This week we got the chance to visit Foursquare HQ to get a first look. We have to say we are very excited- and now we get to reveal it! In a change from year’s past where Foursquare sent a set of stickers, pins and a t-shirt to each event, Foursquare will be sending dozens of specially designed 4sqDay water bottles to each event! Take a look at this beauty:

It’s the 4sqDay Explore Water Bottle! It fits in perfectly with Foursquare’s new explore and discover theme. This bottle is super hip, rugged and ultra portable- roll it up or hook it to your bag with it’s carabiner and you’re good to go! Just look at that gorgeous 4sqDay 2013 logo on the side! It’s the perfect accessory for any modern-day explorer with smartphone in hand, discovering awesome places and things to do through Foursquare.